Chapter Text
“Jewel…I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Amy spat out, after spending minutes in the main office of the Restoration HQ, twiddling her thumbs as she gazed toward the ground.
“What do you mean, Amy?” Jewel the Beetle questioned worriedly while she neatly placed a stack of documents to the side, giving Amy her full attention.
“I…I think I should quit,” Amy stuttered out shamefully, not once looking up to face her friend head-on.
“What? I…is this because of what happened two months ago?” Jewel wondered with shock and sadness in her tone.
Amy winced at the mention of that day. She could still feel it—that burning red sensation. Even now, it made her feel weak and not quite like herself. She didn’t know what exactly happened. All she knew was that she was in such excruciating agony and that whatever caused it almost killed her. She wouldn't have been alive today if it weren’t for Sonic, Tails, and the others.
On top of that, after a week of recovery, she discovered she couldn’t summon her hammer anymore. She channeled most of her abilities through it, but without it, she realized she would only be a liability in battle. So, her only option right now was to leave.
“Yeah, that’s it and…Like I don’t mind helping out with some paperwork occasionally, but I don’t… feel like myself anymore. Especially since my abilities…vanished. No one even knows what went on during that time. They were all busy fighting Eggman. I just…I just need time. Maybe I’ll be back at it sometime in the future, but for now, I-I need to figure things out.”
“I understand… you've been through so much, Amy.”
Jewel then let out a solemn sigh, got up from her desk, and approached her.
Amy was a bit confused for a moment before Jewel pulled her into a tight embrace, which Amy immediately reciprocated.
“It will be hard without you here, but you’re my friend before you’re my employee. Go and rest. You can send your resignation form to me via email whenever you can.”
“....Thank you, let’s…Let's go to that new candy store together next time you’re free. It'll be my treat,” Amy offered, reluctantly separating from the hug.
“Of course, I’ll let you know,” Jewel stated before flying back to her desk and landing on her office chair.
She pulled out her computer from her drawer before taking another look at Amy.
“Just take care of yourself, alright? I want to chat more, but I have a meeting to prepare for. I promise to text you once I'm off work, alright?”
“Right, got it. See ya later, Jewel.”
Amy waved goodbye before seeing herself out. She didn't want to distract Jewel from her tasks any longer.
As she made her way out of the restoration facility, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Since she woke up around 10 minutes after the incident, she had felt different, not just because of her lost powers. She couldn't explain it, but it ate away at her psyche. She remembered telling all her friends she was fine, even though they were panicking that she didn't have a pulse before she woke up.
What they didn’t know was that inside, she was also freaking out, but knew she had to be strong for her friends' sake.
She recalled all of their facial expressions through her hazy gaze before passing out. Tangles pained eyes as her tail elevated her legs. Whispers, distressed cries as she knelt by her side. Lanolin’s shouts as she aggressively called for help from her communicator. Tails mumbles as he hurriedly brings out some makeshift medical equipment and Sonic…
Even Sonic was distraught. He was paralyzed. It was the first time she had ever witnessed him stay so still. Even in the state she was in, she wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold his hand. Reassure him that everything was going to be okay.
But alas, she was also stripped of her capability to move and speak. It wasn’t until she was brought to an emergency room that she was able to gather her bearings.
What happened also caused Sonic and all her friends to be more attentive to her. Sonic was especially gentle and would occasionally give her a look that made her flustered, but she didn't dare to ask about what it meant. Plus, she had never gotten so many texts and calls back to back, and even though she appreciated the efforts, it quickly got too overwhelming.
Luckily for her, they all became busy, and she was able to get a break from all the attentiveness for now.
With all her overthinking, she ended up in front of her home without even realizing it.
Amy fumbled with her keys before she unlocked the door to her apartment in Station Square.
She hadn't been back there in a while since she lived at the Restoration for a few months, but she only brought the essentials and a few photos of her and her friends when she was there. So she didn't have much to take home anyway.
Looking around, her space was exactly like she remembered it. She based it on the little cottage hut she had by the forest when she was a kid. It was even full of her favorite colors, green, pink, and red.
She smiled a bit as she recalled the simpler times when she would play around with her tarot cards and bake herself all the sweets she wanted, or well…could afford.
But once she made her way to her room, her eyes caught the photo by the side of her bed of her holding her hammer and posing with all her friends on top of a large badnik. The framed moment made her weak smile instantaneously vanish. Without her noticing, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
It pained her extremely to have to quit. She loved her job. She got to save Mobians and people's lives, go on numerous adventures with friends, and be with the one she loved most, her hero, Sonic.
The sob that left her was sudden but expected. She cupped a hand over her mouth as she silently mourned the loss of her livelihood. For weeks, she stayed vigilant. She didn’t waver and smiled while attempting to convince herself she would recover in no time. She even spent a week straight training, attempting to summon her hammer for hours or punching a plank to see if it broke. She tried everything, but she couldn’t even pick up a wooden table anymore.
Worst of all, she no longer sensed the spiritual energy of her tarot cards.
The cards were her origin and what made her who she was today. Without them, she felt hollow, like it was all over. Did she even have a future anymore?
All she could think of was how unfair this was. Why did this happen to her? Would she ever be ok again?
With all the thoughts swirling through her head, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling as she just let it all out. All the emptiness, pain, anger, and sadness came rushing out in droves.
As she collapsed to the floor, she mourned her old self. How tough she was on the battlefield and how useful she was to her friends when they needed saving. How she probably would never be able to defend them ever again. How she would be a burden to them if anything were to happen and she were there?
Everything just seemed so hopeless.
An hour or so had passed before she began to calm down. Amy curled in on herself by the foot of her bed and just existed, blankly staring at the pink wallpaper that covered her room.
A ping rang from the iPhone that was lying beside her, and she glanced at it to see that it was Jewel checking in on her after her decision at her job, or now her ex-job.
Jewel (Boss/Bestie): Hey, Amy, are you feeling better?
Me: Yeah, I’m just relaxing now. Thanks for checking up on me.
Jewel (Boss/Bestie): That’s good. Text or call me whenever you need, okay?
Me: Okay
Amy sighed as she placed her phone face down on the ground.
‘She had to take the Boss out of her name later.’
After a minute, she lifelessly pushed herself off the ground, trudged to her closet, threw off her shoes, red dress, and headband, then lazily grabbed and put on her red and white striped pajama set.
She didn’t even bother to do her usual routine of freshening up and slapping on a face mask.
That was reserved for when her life wasn’t torn to pieces.
Once done, she headed over to the living room, where her plump pink couch was, and flopped onto it with her whole body weight.
Amy then let out a long exhale as she reached for the TV remote and clicked the power button.
Whenever she had days where she felt like she might lose it, flipping through TV or watching a good rom-com would lift her spirits a peg.
She kept scrolling through channel after channel until she caught a familiar face that caused her to halt. It was Mika, the cyber singer, who skyrocketed in popularity recently. She was projected on a stage and waving at a large crowd from a TV on the Tonight Show, hosted by Sara the Bobcat.
Amy propped her head up with her hands to get a better look. She just realized that this was her first look at a performance from the virtual rabbit. She only knew her from the few posters she’d seen up at the restoration and the billboards put up throughout the city.
Until now, she never even bothered to listen to her music because she was so smitten with Hot Honey. She also just never liked how Mika’s frame would be bigger than Hot Honey’s. They were made to look so insignificant in comparison when featured in the same advertisements. So she ignored Mika for the most part.
What could she say? She was a loyal fan.
Today, however, something compelled her to keep watching as Sara introduced the singer to the public and announced she would be performing one of her top hits, ‘Shake It.’
“Now, everyone, give it up for Hatsune Mika!” Sara shouted in excitement as the screen faded out of the studio and fully focused on Mika.
The stage looked wondrous. Green and blue lights glistened in the background, making it seem like Mika was a magical being glowing in the galaxy. Mika had her eyes shut until she started to sing, and that’s when everything around her truly came to life. Her outfit materialized as a frilly and colorful party look, and the stage transformed to match that.
“On a lonely, miserable night by yourself,
If you look for memories you want to disappear
Then come on through the secret door
Here we go, oh yeah, oh yeah!”
The crowd itself went mad, chanting her name during the pause in the song as Mika danced cutely to the beat with ease.
Well, of course, she was a hologram after all, but still…
A dim light began to shine in Amy’s viridescent pupils as the performance commenced. The lyrics strangely resonated with her, and it felt like the pop star was reaching out to her and saying everything would be okay.
She felt seen.
Amy’s eyes then widened as she observed the screen more closely.
The cameras would do close-ups on the Mobians in the audience sometimes as they sang along, and when Mika winked, the ecstatic look on their faces made Amy’s heart swell up with a familiar feeling that was new all the same.
It was similar to the look she would receive when she saved a civilian or the excitement on any bystander's face when Sonic showed up to save the day. This was a different process. It was like rescuing mobians through music and dance. Even she could feel it.
The energy of the cyber popstar and the crowd had her unconsciously bobbing her head to the beat. For the first time in a month, she experienced an emotion other than emptiness, stress, frustration, pain, and sadness. Here at this moment, she found herself smiling genuinely as the performance went on.
She wondered to herself why she had never bothered to listen to Mika’s music before. Well, she knew why, but this was fantastic and exactly the kind of sound she enjoyed the most. One that gave someone hope and shook all their problems away.
Once the song ended, Mika did a grand bow of respect to the crowd and thanked them for coming before disappearing from the stage. A second after she left, the screen displayed an audition notice that was being voiced by someone she recognized as Nite the Owl. The company Priapro Studios, which sponsored Hatsune Mika, was looking for brand new talent to expand their idols beyond digital coding.
The candidates would send a video of themselves singing a cover song of any artist of their choosing or an original piece, and whoever they liked best would be sent an email to show up at a specific location to go through a final audition with judges.
Nite then ended it by thanking the agency for sponsoring him as the screen faded back to Saras Night Show.
“That was a spectacular performance! But there you have it, folks. Anyone interested in being an idol like Mika, make sure to sign up now using the QR code on the screen. It will be up for a few minutes before it’s gone, and then it will be posted on Priapro’s Twitter account in a few days. Now, onto the next subject….”
Amy couldn’t hear the rest of Sara’s speech as she started picturing herself up on that stage. She imagined herself in a frilly pink dress as she pranced around with the sweetest smile. She visualized her fans screaming in excitement as they chanted her name multiple times to hype her up.
Amy had always loved to sing, but before, she would only find the time to do so around the apartment, in the shower, or at karaoke with friends. Plus, she was always so busy with stopping Eggman and working at the restoration that she never even thought to delve more into this infatuation she had with the profession.
But now, with all that’s transpired, she had the time, and the more she thought about it, the more alive she felt. It was a feeling she missed so dearly, and now it was the thought of being an idol that ignited that hope again in her.
If life took her capability of helping to save the world away, she could be there for everyone in another way.
So she made up her mind.
She was going to give this an honest shot.
So, she scanned the QR code with her cellphone and saved the application page for later. Then, she turned off the TV and went straight to bed.
It took her a while to fall asleep because of her excitement and nervousness for the future ahead, but she eventually exhausted all her energy and slowly drifted off.
In her sleep, she found herself dreaming of Mika and her dancing throughout the galaxy together.
------------
The next morning, Amy came up with a plan. First, she was going to gather all her friends together and tell them that she had quit and had a new dream she was ready to pursue. Next, she was going to practice her favorite song, ‘Love Story,’ and send over the perfect submission, and then she would wait for the news. Maybe while baking a strawberry shortcake, just because she could.
Then almost on cue, Amy’s phone played a sparkling tune, indicating that someone was calling her. She placed her freshly made cup of coffee down on her countertop and picked up her phone to check to see who it was.
To her delight, it was Sonic.
Sonic rarely called as he was more of a texter, but since the incident, he always made sure to call one or three times a week. The other days, he would simply come visit for a bit or invite her to hang out with him and Tails.
Amy was positive it was due to the heartbreaking reality that he could have lost his friend, but either way, she welcomed this new change in attitude.
However, she was sort of bummed it took her almost croaking to unlock this side of him.
“Morning, Sonic! What's up?”
“Mornin' Ames, glad to hear someone is cheery today!” Sonic mentioned, releasing a soft chuckle at her high-pitched tone.
“Yeah, I feel much better… but anyway, I have something to tell you and the others.”
“Oh, really? Well, Spill.”
“Not yet, silly. I want to tell you guys in person. I think it's pretty important for you all to know,” Amy explained as she sipped some of her coffee.
“Alrighty. When do you want us all to meet up?”
“Well, later today or tomorrow if possible…”
“Gotcha, I can easily spread the word around if you want?”
Amy giggled softly as she imagined Sonic running door to door and then leaving so quickly it would give them whiplash.
She could have probably created a group chat, but some of the friends she wanted to invite didn’t have phones or cell service, so having Sonic help out was her best bet.
“That's true. Well, if you could, that would be the fastest way to do it.”
“Why of course, fast is my middle name after all.”
“Oh, I thought it was ‘The’.”
“Pff..Hahaha!”
Sonic's hearty laugh caused Amy to instinctually laugh along with him. It was shocking how easy it was to do so today than it was for the past two months.
She didn't feel anywhere near a hundred percent, and without her hammer or tarot cards, she probably never would, but at least now she had a purpose. Something she wanted to try.
“Oh man, haha, Knuckles said that so freaking long ago, but it never gets old.”
“I know right…Anyway, I want you to tell... Um...Cream, Vanilla, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Silver, Jewel, Whisper, Tangle, Tails, Lanolin, and…um, yeah, that covers it for now.”
“Woo, that's a party right there, but where do you want us all to be, and like when?”
“Hmmm…Maybe the local park? It's not too big a deal to make it a grand event. It can just be a small get-together. And say…either this evening at 5 or tomorrow afternoon at 3 or just whenever everyone is free,” Amy informed him.
“Uhuh ok, got it! Welp, Chuchu, the Sonic Express is heading out,” Sonic announced before abruptly hanging up.
“Pff,” Amy let out as she stifled a laugh.
Sonic could be so corny sometimes, but that was one of the many things she loved about him.
She reminisced on a time when all she would think about was Sonic and her whole life was all about making him love her the way she loved him, but lately, she became satisfied with just the little moments.
After chasing after him for years, she realized as she grew older that she desired to experience more in life than just being Sonic’s girl. She practiced making cakes and sold her recipes at Vanilla’s sweet shop, she stepped up to lead a whole resistance against Eggman once Knuckles left, and in the present, she was going to attempt to be an idol. These were things her old self would have vetoed in favor of being wherever Sonic was, but she believed that focusing more on herself had gotten her to become closer friends with her hero than she ever had before.
Amy was pretty sure that Sonic never really possessed romantic feelings for her, but at the moment, she was perfectly alright being just friends. As long as she had him in her life one way or another, that was fine with her.
In the meantime, while she waited for Sonic to call back, she was going to rehearse the lyrics of ‘Love Story,’ so she could submit her entry before meeting with her friends. So she gulped down the last morsel of her coffee and got to work.
She didn’t need much time at all. She knew that song like the back of her hand, but she still needed to make sure she got it down pat, and she did.
Amy first changed into something presentable, as the last thing anyone wanted to see was her in her PJs. Amy simply wore her signature red dress and headband since it was the easiest thing to put together.
Next, Amy fetched her camera from her bedroom drawer and situated it on the lower cabinet by her bed. When it was flawlessly pointed toward her pink sheets, she set a timer for it to record in 10 seconds.
That gave her enough time to grab her phone and pull up the instrumental she was going to sing along to.
Once she heard the beep, she pressed play, readied her voice, and sang.
“We were both young when I first saw you,
I close my eyes, and the flashback starts
I’m standing there
On a balcony in the summer air.”
While singing, she pictured herself as Juliet on a balcony just as the lyrics described, staring out into the night sky as she waited for her prince to come and take her away.
Ever since she was a little girl, she would always dive into this specific illusion when she heard this tune. She would pretend Sonic was her Romeo, and he would come whisk her away to go on another adventure against her fictitious parents' wishes. She constantly held on to him as he carried her princess-style, with the biggest smiles on their faces as they traveled. Then, one day, after not seeing him for a while, he would get down on one knee, propose, and they would live happily ever after.
At least, that was what she fantasized about back then. Now, when she thought about herself on that balcony, her prince was faceless.
Amy still yearned for that same romantic ending, but instead, her Romeo didn’t have to be Sonic.
She matured to the point of realizing that. However, she wondered if it wasn’t him, then who on earth could it possibly be?
Well, only time would tell, she supposed.
“ We were both young when I first saw you…”
Once the track concluded, she let out a big exhale and then went over to her shelf to stop the recording. Amy replayed the video to herself and was pleased that she did it on her first take with no mistakes. Her singing voice wasn’t magnificent, but it was good enough for an audition. Plus, she was sure she could improve and would give it her all to do just that.
Amy then grabbed her camera, cut off the last part where she sat up, walked over to the computer on her desk to set it up, and transferred the video file to her laptop. When it finished downloading, she sent it to her email and booted it up on her phone. Finally, she uploaded it to the application site and submitted it.
The whole process took approximately thirty minutes, but it was worth it.
She barely even stood up when her phone started ringing.
Amy didn’t even have to check it to know who it was.
“Sonic!”
“Haha, Hey Ames, just called to say I told everyone about your little get-together and took a short chili dog break afterward,” Sonic stated smugly.
She chuckled as an image of him doing one of his usual smirks appeared in her head.
“Of course, you and your chili dogs, but what did they say?”
“Well, Tails said he can do either or, Cream and Vanilla said the same, Rouge said today is better cause she’s busy tomorrow, Lanolin can’t make it either day, Blaze, and Silver said today, Knuckles is busy tomorrow too, and Tangle and Whisper preferred today, so six it is,” Sonic listed out, absentmindedly.
“Awesome, it sucks that Lanolin is occupied, but I’ll tell Tangle and Whisper to keep her in the loop. Also, as thanks, I’ll prepare some snacks for everyone before the meet-up too.”
“AWW YEAH, now we talkin'! Welp gotta blast, catch ya later, Ames.”
“Alright, see ya, Sonic,” Amy responded last before the phone beeped, indicating that he hung up.
“I hope everything goes well today…” She silently whispered, despite no one being in the area.
She felt concerned about how each of her close friends would react to the news of her quitting in favor of being an idol, especially since the majority didn’t know that she couldn’t summon her hammer anymore.
Amy didn’t want those, so she decided not to inform sooner to feel like she didn’t trust them. Especially when it was merely because she just didn’t wish to place that burden of knowing on them.
After all, she traumatized half of them enough already.
The only few she told were Jewel, because she was her boss and close friend, so she felt she had to mention it, so it would be easier to get out of missions that involved fighting, and Vanilla, because Amy just couldn’t escape that motherly intuition.
But she thankfully promised not to tell Cream until she was ready.
With the help of those two, she managed to keep it hidden for the last two months by discreetly avoiding hanging out with everyone too much and mostly keeping to herself. This only made them more anxious about her well-being, but it was necessary until she found a way to break it to them without them blaming themselves for not saving her in time.
“Welp, no point in worrying about it now. Time to make those treats,” Amy said as she hyped herself up.
Amy then readied her cooking materials and started baking.
She was going to make sure none of them felt underappreciated today.
…………
A few hours later, Amy was prepared with two picnic baskets in hand as she headed toward the park.
She made sure that she was the first one there by being an hour early so she could set things up. Amy immediately headed to her favorite spot under the large tree at the center of the parkland and whipped out an eight-foot-six-inch blue picnic blanket to situate a bit ahead of the tree so everyone would be in the shade as they watched the sunset.
Then she opened the two baskets and placed down a large box of her homemade chocolate chip cookies and multiple blueberry cupcakes for them all to share. As soon as she felt it was all presentable, she took out her phone and began to scroll through social media to pass the time and simultaneously calm her nerves.
Some time had passed when she was slightly startled by a loud, cheery voice.
“Miss Amy! We’re here!”
Amy’s head shot up to see her friend Cream waving happily as she and her mother, Vanilla, came over ten minutes before six.
“Hi, Cream, Hi Miss Vanilla! Glad you could make it,” Amy waved back as she hopped up and scooped Cream up into a big hug, as they both laughed together.
“Chao Chao!”
Amy looked to the side to see Cheese flying up and landing on her shoulder.
“Oh heya Cheese, I missed you guys,” Amy admitted as she gently let go of Cream.
“I’m delighted to see you are feeling better, Amy,” Vanilla commented as she stepped up to join them.
“Yeah, I’m feeling much better,” Amy smiled shyly at her until she felt Cream tug on her dress.
“Miss Amy, I missed you so much. I haven’t seen you in forever. I wanted to visit, but Mama said you were too busy and would come to see me when you were free,” Cream explained with a sad pout.
“I was busy…But I'll be able to hang out more from today onwards, I promise,” Amy declared as she patted Cream on the head.
“Promise?”
“Promise. Now, I made some cookies, would you like some while we wait for the others?” Amy offered, glancing toward the box that held the sweets.
“Oh, yes, please!” Cream exclaimed as she immediately ran to grab some for herself, with Cheese flying not far behind her.
Amy smiled softly at Cream before turning to face her mother.
“Are you sure you feel ready?” Vanilla asked upfront, staring at Amy with a hint of solicitude.
Amy instinctively looked away anxiously as she responded.
“N-not exactly, but I have to be.”
Vanilla sighed before pulling her into a hug.
“Whether you go through with it or back out…I’ll be here. You are not alone,” Vanilla declared as she stroked her quills tenderly.
Amy shuddered as she squeezed Vanilla back. The gathering didn’t even start yet, and she already felt like crying.
Vanilla was just too kind.
She was like the mother Amy never had.
Once she parted from her, she spotted her friends Silver and Blaze strolling up to them.
“Hey, Amy, Cream, Vanilla,” Silver greeted upon his arrival.
“Mister Silver!” Cream yelled as she ran up and jumped on him with a piece of a cookie still in her mouth.
“Haha, good to see you too, Cream,” Silver said, grinning widely.
“Amy, I’m glad to see you. I was worried for quite some time,” Blaze spoke up solemnly, as she inspected Amy from head to toe.
“Heh, Yeah I’m good, I’m just happy you guys came,” Amy stated nervously.
“And we aren’t the only ones.”
Amy, upon hearing that, peered behind Blaze to see the others all arriving together.
Whisper was fidgeting next to Tangle, who waved frantically at them. Jewel was hovering above the ground with her eyes trained on Amy, and Knuckles was scowling as Sonic seemingly taunted him. Rouge, who was always fashionably late, laughed at whatever Sonic said to piss Knuckles off more, and Tails tinkered with a gadget as he followed closely behind them.
“Sonic, knock it off already before I sock you in the jaw!” Knuckles shouted once they all made it up to the tree.
“What? Can’t take a little criticism, tough guy,” Sonic teased with a sly smirk.
“Ughh, if I wasn’t here for Amy, I would have ditched you,” Knuckles threatened with a snarl.
“Aww, thanks, Knuckles,” Amy said with a small chuckle.
“Hmph, whatever.”
“Now, now, boys, that’s enough horsing around,” Rouge proclaimed before swinging an arm around Amy’s shoulder.
“Amy, sweetie, how are you holding up?”
“Good, just wanted to talk to all of you after so long.”
“Welp, we’re here now.”
“Yeah…Well, do you guys want to eat some of the sweets I made first?” Amy suggested as everyone’s eyes landed on the display of sweets on the blanket.
“Oh, heck yeah! Cookies and Muffins,” Tangle yelped with glee as she rushed for the box.
“Hey, don’t eat them all!” Sonic hollered as he sped ahead and swiped a couple for himself.
“No fair, I want some too,” Tails spoke up as he flew over to them.
The others soon gravitated around the blanket, sat down, and ate as Amy passed each of them a water bottle to soothe the taste of sugar and bread.
For about 20 minutes, they just casually chatted about their days and joked around like old times, while the sun set in the distance.
It was healing in a way to just be here with them all like this. She hadn’t met up with most of them since her discharge from the hospital and only saw them at Restoration HQ sporadically.
A part of her wished that they could just continue like this, but the other half knew that if it wasn’t right at this moment, she wouldn’t know when she would have the courage to speak about her struggles again. So she timidly got up from where she sat, which automatically drew everybody's focus onto her.
“H-hi, so sorry to interrupt, but I bet you’re wondering why I asked Sonic to assemble you all here today,” Amy began, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
“Yeah! Woo, go on, girlie, we're all ears,” Tangle cheered eagerly, which caused them all to chuckle except Jewel and Knuckles.
“Ok…Well, for starters, the reason I've been mostly MIA during missions since my hospital release is…I-I can’t summon my hammer anymore.”
At that, everyone was dead silent. Amy hesitantly observed their expressions. Most of their faces were perplexed, besides the two that already knew. They just nodded at Amy, showcasing silent support.
The first to speak up was Knuckles, who popped the question they were all probably thinking.
“What do you mean you can’t summon it?”
Amy gulped before continuing, “I…After I got discharged. Eggman was attacking again, so I tried to get my hammer out, but it was gone. The energy I conjured through my tarot cards disappeared as well. Later, I even discovered I had lost most of my natural strength. I-I can’t even lift a table anymore…”
“Oh no, poor Miss Amy,” Cream sympathized, as she cradled into her mother’s arm.
“B-but it’s still possible for it to come back, right? It may just be a side effect of whatever happened,” Tangle insinuated hopefully.
“I don’t know. It’s been two months already, and nothing has changed-”
“Why did you wait so long to say something?” Knuckles cut her off sharply.
Amy gasped as she didn't expect that outburst from Knuckles, but hastily composed herself.
“I…I didn't want to burden you all, but most importantly, I didn't want those who were there with me to feel like it was their fault.”
“ No, it was my fault …” Whisper spoke up with a sunken expression upon her ordinarily neutral persona.
“ I’m sorry, Amy…I saw you wander off and just ignored it. I should have been in your place instead,” Whisper admitted quietly.
Tangle scooted over and shakenly squeezed Whisper's hand in a silent attempt at comfort.
“No, there is no possible way you could have known what would occur next. If I were in your position, I would have brushed it off, too,” Amy reasoned, trying to reassure her comrade.
“Alright Alright, calm down, everyone,” Rouge chimed in, attempting to cut through the growing tension. She then turned to Amy with a serious look, “Amy, what’s your next step? Do you want us to figure out what’s going on?”
Amy paused slightly before answering. Did she want to know? Why did she never think about getting to the bottom of this before? She supposed it had to be because of how muddled her mind had been until yesterday.
Nevertheless, she didn’t even know where to begin. All she knew was that while they were fighting another one of Eggman’s latest inventions, she saw something crimson flashing behind her that caught her eye. The essence, whatever it was called, was to her, so she hobbled towards it without much thought. Then that’s when the pain began, and her memories stopped.
But…If they could attempt to find something despite their limited knowledge. It may lead to her obtaining her hammer again.
“Maybe…But there isn’t much to go by. You all know the full story, and even Eggman didn’t know either when you interrogated him. I just don’t think there is anything we can do right now until something else transpires.”
“I could keep an eye on things for ya, Amy,” Tails piped up from beside Sonic. “My computers detected a significant amount of enigmatic energy before you became unresponsive. I can easily upgrade my trackers so they can pick up that same energy source, which we can follow to see if we can acquire it and study it.”
“That’s…Yeah, that works. Thank you, Tails,” Amy smiled gratefully.
“Of course. I don’t want to see you in that condition ever again, and I know how much your hammer means to you.”
“Yeah, it means a lot…” Amy sincerely expressed with a small smile.
“Hmm, you’re awfully quiet, blue. It’s not like you,” Rouge mentioned, as she side-eyed Sonic, who had his hands clasped together, sporting a slight frown.
However, once he registered their stares, he masked his glower with a forced smile, then shyly scratched the back of his head.
“Oh, what?... It’s nothing, I was just listening to you guys, but just like Tails said, we will do everything in our power to help you get it back. We’re your friends, Amy. You know you can count on us,” Sonic earnestly proclaimed, with a desperate glint in his orbs.
The others nodded along in agreement, sharing a determined look.
“I know. I love you guys so much! But until that day comes, I decided to quit working at the Restoration. I already emailed Jewel my resignation letter. I…Also, won’t be able to go on any adventures for the time being,” Amy announced lamentably.
They all processed the information wordlessly for a minute, all seemingly accepting the reality that Amy would be inactive for the first time in almost five years.
“Understandable, that’s the best way to go about this. If you went on adventures in your current condition, you’d be putting yourself in grave danger,” Blaze reasoned with a respectful nod in Amy’s direction.
“Blaze is right, you’ve done so much for us all these years. You deserve a break. Think of it like a vacation,” Silver voiced with a soft smile.
“Yeah, then we can also have more time to have fun and bake together,” Cream cheered as Cheese chirped beside her.
“That would be wonderful, Cream. I’ll make sure to take you up on that offer,” Amy agreed.
“Hmm, I may need a bit more chaos energy to accurately pinpoint the coordinates when it comes up,” Tails mumbled audibly, presumably having already begun the search.
“If you need to use the master emerald at any point while looking into that source, I’ll let you without a fight this one time,” Knuckles offered, with his eyelids closed and arms crossed.
“Aw, Knuckie, you do have a heart. If only you would do the same for me,” Rouge bantered mischievously.
“Not in a million years, Batwoman.”
“Welp, I tried.”
They all collectively snickered at the exchange, which lightened the mood significantly.
“Oh, I almost forgot, I also have good news. I found a career I want to try out for a while,” Amy enlightened her friends, which caused some of their eyebrows to raise curiously.
“Oo, what you gonna do?” Tangle inquired, enthusiastically.
“I'm going to try my hand at being an idol.”
At that, everyone's eyes widened in shock, except Knuckles, who appeared confused.
Amy had never mentioned her love of singing. She hadn't thought that it was very important. All her friends have heard her hum or dance along to a plethora of songs, but none of them would have fathomed she would make a living out of it someday.
Well, to be fair, neither did she until last night.
“Wow, that was unexpected, but now that I think about it…I could see you as an idol. I mean, you got the look down already,” Tangle pointed out as she observed her cutesy attire.
“Really? You think so?”
Amy wore this dress almost every day for years, but maybe it was kinda idolish?
“Yeah! Though I don't know much about Idols, so I may be wrong.”
“I support it. Honestly, I'm quite intrigued to see how you handle the idol world. In the Sol dimension, Idols are extremely well-renowned and hardworking,” Blaze admitted, as Silver nodded in agreement alongside her.
“I think Miss Amy is going to be the best idol in the world,” Cream complimented.
“Aww, thanks, Cream! You're the sweetest, but I haven't even started yet,” Amy bashfully responded.
“Uh, guys, what's an idol?” Knuckles asked as he scratched his head.
“Pff,” Sonic snorted from behind him.
“What's so funny….Sonic?” Knuckles let out angrily.
“Haha, oh man, sometimes I forget how ignorant you are of the outside world. Maybe you should leave the master emerald in Tail’s hands for a while and live a little,” Sonic suggested as he gave him a smug smirk.
“The fox may be reliable, but I would never trust him with the master emerald. I can't even count how many times Eggman or some creature stole the chaos emeralds from him.”
“Hey...I'm right here, you know,” Tails butt in with a slight pout upon his muzzle.
“Anyways, Knuckles, an Idol is someone who sings to multiple beings at once. They also dance around while they perform most of the time,” Amy explained simplistically.
“Hmm, I see, I think my ancestors did something similar.”
“I doubt the music or dance was like whatever your ancestors were doing,” Sonic commented.
“Shut up, rat.”
Everyone burst out into hysterics at that, causing the mood to go back to how it was before Amy revealed her dilemma.
She's glad that the fears she had earlier about her friends feeling responsible weren't as bad as she thought. Whisper's confession still concerned her, but hopefully, she helped ease the belief that she was in the wrong.
They spent the rest of their evening chatting, joking around, and catching up with one another. Then as dusk settled into a starry night, the snacks were all gone and they all began getting up to leave, but not before they all reassured Amy that they approved of her career choice and that no matter what they would stick by her side.
She truly felt so loved.
Amy smiled to herself as she thought about how lucky she was to have such amazing friends by her side as she packed up the last of her picnic materials. Once she picked up the wrapped-up blanket, she turned to see Sonic still there waiting for her.
Amy grinned at the sight, “What are you still doing here, Mr. Hedgehog?”
“Well…I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I didn’t offer ya a ride home now, would I?” Sonic responded with a wink as he reached out his hand for her to take.
The action caused Amy to blush slightly, but she didn’t waver as she took his outstretched hand, “Haha, Oh Sonic, you don’t have to, but I would never refuse a chance to go home at the speed of sound.”
“Hmph, now we're talking,” Sonic replied as he pulled her in, scooped her up bridal style, and zoomed out of the park.
They made it back to her apartment in under five seconds, which would have normally taken her around 20 minutes if she had walked.
Sonic carefully set her down in front of her doorstep so she could unlock her door, and then once she opened it she twisted back around to face her best friend.
“Thanks again, Sonic. Today wouldn’t have been possible without you,” Amy said appreciatively.
“No problem, Ames, anytime. Though I see why you wanted us all together to share you’re news. It’s going to be a big change from what you’re used to, but I believe you can do it. We all do.”
“Hehe, you're so sweet, Now I’m more pumped than ever to give this a shot,” Amy said with a determined look.
“Now that’s the Amy I know,” Sonic voiced as he locked eyes with her.
“Eh?”
“I was worried for a second there, you just didn’t seem like yourself for so long. Now that I know why, like I said earlier, I’ll do whatever it takes to find what did this to you. But I’m just glad that you have this to keep your spirits up until then,” Sonic expressed with a soft smirk.
“Yeah, me too.”
Amy then took one step forward, and wrapped her arms around Sonic, giving him a big hug.
Sonic stilled for a moment, before returning the affection with a small pat on her back.
“I believe in you too. Have a good night, Sonic.”
“Heh, night, Ames. Text me whenever you get started Idoling or whatever,” Sonic requested, as he stepped back from the hug with a toothy grin.
“Haha, of course, dummy. You’ll be the first one on my list.”
“I better! Catch ya on the flip side,” Sonic said last; shooting her a short wave as he boomed off into the distance.
Amy stood there staring after the clouds of dust he formed before finally going inside and locking the door behind her.
Once she ensconced herself in her home, the adrenaline pumping through her dissipated.
It was astonishing how quickly she went from energetic to exhausted. Amy first slipped her boots off and went over to drop the stuff she had by the couch.
She decided to pack them away in their proper place by tomorrow afternoon.
With a loud sigh, she checked the time on her phone to see it was 9:00 pm. She usually customarily went to sleep around 11:30 pm, but she was too tired to stay awake that long, so she got ready to hit the hay.
She took a shower, brushed her teeth, and then slipped beneath her covers. Amy then gazed at her ceiling as she recounted the day she just had. After a moment, she closed her eyes and drifted off to a peaceful slumber with Sonic and her friends on her mind.
—----------------
It took about two days for the email Amy had been checking for almost hourly to come in. The second she got the ping while she was snacking on some chips, she dropped the bag and went to read the response from Priapro almost immediately.
Initially, she saw solely the word Priapro.CO in all caps but once she spotted her name she squeaked in exhilaration.
-
Hello Amy Rose, This is a message from Priapro’s A&R Team. The evaluation of your application for the online audition has been successfully reviewed. We are delighted to inform you that you have passed the first selection process!
We will be holding the audition at our main building Priapro, located near the hotel district in downtown Station Square. The date that has been set is next week on the 16th of April. We hope to see you there. An employee will be waiting for you upon your arrival.
We wish you good luck!
Priapro.CO
-
“EEEEE, YES!” Amy hollered and jumped up from her seat in glee. “I GOT IN! Oh my god, I have to text Sonic and Tails.”
She hastily texted her two closest friends the news, then remembered to do the same for Vanilla so she could tell Cream, and then texted Jewel as well.
It didn’t take long for Sonic to call her, and she picked up with a squeal to showcase her excitement.
“Yoo! Congrats, Ames, I knew you could do it! Tails is here too! Here say something…”
“Congratulation’s Amy! I knew you would get to the second round,” Tails commended happily.
“Thanks, Tails!”
“Hey, what about me?” Sonic questioned jokingly.
“Hehe, thank you too, Sonic.”
“You’re welcome, Tails and I were just about to head out and get some grub. You wanna come with us so we can celebrate?” Sonic proposed.
“Oh, that sounds great! I’ll take you up on that.”
“Alright! We’ll come and meet you at your place. We’re taking the tornado.”
“Ok! I’ll go get ready, bye Sonic!”
“Bye!”
When the call was over, she raced to get dressed for her hangout, but although she would be with Sonic soon, the only thing on her mind was what she would sing for that audition. Amy had a week to search for a song and perfect it, which she was good at.
She was confident that she would come up with something to blow the judges away.
Meanwhile, she would be enjoying this time with her friends. She owed them that after leaving them in the dark for so long.
—-------------
A week passed and Amy was standing across the street from the building where her audition would take place, with a blue backpack hanging securely on her back. She was nervous as she ogled the large grey tower, with an immense amount of widows that she couldn’t see in too. If she was still a little girl the infrastructure itself would have her running home in tears, but she was older and self-confident.
She conveyed her plan to Rouge, who was the only one she knew who had experience in charming others, and she agreed this tactic would work. She trusted Rouge, especially when it came to this sort of thing, so she steeled her nerves and marched assuredly into the main entrance.
She made it to the front desk and got the receptionist’s attention. Amy was about to introduce herself before she heard her name being called from beside her.
“Amy Rose, right this way, please.”
Amy twirled around as she locked eyes with a tigress mobian in a long-sleeve black turtle neck, sporting a silky beige skirt, and coal-black high heels.
She tilted her head to the door behind her; signaling her to come along as she turned around and strutted toward it like she was a model on the runway.
She speedily followed close behind her. The tigress led her down a hallway with multiple doorways until she halted in front of one towards the end of the hall and held the entryway out for her to go into.
“Wait here, the judges will meet with you shortly,” The tigress informed, as she then bowed her head in respect and shut the door, leaving Amy there alone.
“Well…that was interesting,” Amy whispered, deciding to take this time to study her surroundings.
The room was surprisingly dull, with the four walls encasing her inside being just bright grey with one white door in the far corner, and not even a single photo or poster to give it more spice. The only thing that stood out was the singular mic in the middle of the space and a humungous white pull-out table with three desk chairs separated from one another.
She presumed that would be where the judges reside.
Right then, the doorway swung open as a light amber cat lady with, peach skin, jet-black hair styled up in pigtails, and a similar esc dress to hers with more black and lacy material barged in. When they locked eyes the cat squealed with astonishment and then ran up to Amy.
“Omg, Omg, Amy Rose, in the flesh! Hi! I’m Honey the Cat, I’m such a big fan,” Honey introduced, as she vigorously reached out to shake Amy’s hands.
“Oh, Hi! Nice to meet you, but..Uh, what’s going on?” Amy queried befuddledly.
“Oh gosh, sorry, I got too carried away there. I’m one of the Judges! I saw that you were one of the auditioners and I just couldn’t believe it, until now that is,” Honey clarified cheerfully.
“I see…Wait…I think I remember you! You were in that tournament Tail’s had years back, to see who would use the chaos emeralds to destroy the Death Egg?!” Amy recalled with a dumbfounded expression.
“AAAH! You remembered! Yeah, that’s me! It’s because of that that my brand Honey Bee skyrocketed. And here I am, collaborating with Piapro. Dreams do come true.”
“Honey, stop bothering our guest. It’s time to prepare the audition,” A brown grizzly bear wearing a black suit, and glasses spoke up seriously from the threshold of the door.
“Aw, okay! Good luck, Amy. I’m rooting for you,” Honey uttered last, with a thumbs up before turning to get to her seat.
It was when Honey turned around that Amy spotted white angel wings on her back. If she remembered correctly, she had something comparable to them back then, too. They were beautiful and appeared peculiarly realistic. Though she doubted it was anything more than a piece to complete her outfit.
They both took their seats and not even a second later, a deer woman in a white dress shirt and black pants clumsily scrambled in with a tablet in hand, as she hurriedly sat next to Honey.
“Sorry, I’m late,” The deer apologized with a bow in the bear's direction.
“You’re precisely on time, Bambi, so there is nothing to fret about,” The bear reassured her as Bambi exhaled in relief.
“Now, let’s get started. Hello, Miss Rose. I must say, it is an honor to have a hero such as yourself here to audition for our company. My name is Fredrick the Grizzly and I’m the CEO of Piapro.Co. Usually, Another one of my employees would be here in my stead, but what type of owner would I be if I didn’t introduce myself to you, who has helped save our wondrous planet numerous times?” Frederick stated, factually.
“Aw, shucks, I didn’t do much, but I’m always happy to help,” Amy responded in slight embarrassment.
She knew she was well known, well not as recognizable as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, but she still wasn’t used to strangers appreciating her efforts like this.
Although to be frank, she could get used to it.
“Nonsense, you did way more than any of us here could have, and that’s worth something. But color me curious, what inspired you to want to be a pop idol in general?” Frederick questioned.
Amy paused at the question. The reason was plain, but sensitive at the same time. She didn’t want to lie, but telling a company she wasn’t even sure she would be a part of about her being powerless was a hundred percent not the right move to take. So she settled upon telling a white lie. One that only exposed part of the truth.
“Well, I happened to see one of Mika’s performances on TV one day while I was channel surfing, and her stage presence mesmerized me. The lyrics, the outfit, the dance, and her voice were spectacular. Even though she isn’t real, it made me imagine myself in her place as an idol. Then your audition notice was announced and it felt like destiny in a way, so I just had to try it out,” she relayed.
“Fantastic. This was exactly why we created Mika. We wanted her to encourage the hearts of young folks in need and maybe help them heal and the fact Mika did so for you. It means we succeeded.”
“Yeah… I think you did,” Amy agreed softly, with a smile.
“Excellent. That's all the questions I have for now so whenever you are ready. You may begin,” Fredrick declared as he lifted his glasses onto his nose.
“Oh, Okay. Can I go change in that room over there?” Amy asked, gesturing toward the door she spotted earlier.
“Go ahead. It’s a small closet area so there should also be a mirror,” Frederick notified.
“Alright, I’ll be out in a second,” Amy reassured before strolling into the closet.
Once she was alone, she hurriedly got out a puffy pink skirt with a large rose-colored bow on the back and a white button-up top with a clip-on rose on the top and put them on. She still kept her red hair band and red boots with white streaks, as they fit the pop star look she was going for.
Amy checked herself in the mirror and did a little twirl. It was a good thing she went shopping with Blaze, Rouge, and Cream for some idol-looking clothes.
It would hopefully make the judges see the potential in her through her appearance too.
As she walked back out to stand in front of the microphone, the judges all seemed impressed. Especially Honey, who appeared to be on the verge of screaming.
“You look lovely, Miss Rose,” Bambi complimented.
“Hehe, thank you very much.”
“I concur. It’s a stellar outfit. Now, what song will you be singing today?” Frederick queried.
“The song I choose is Mika’s second most popular song, Electric Angel,” Amy divulged.
“Wow, that’s a difficult one to sing but a great choice. I can’t wait to hear you’re version. So, are you ready?” Frederick questioned.
“Yes.”
“Okay, Bambi play the track,” Frederick ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Bambi responded as she pressed something on the tablet, and just then the song blared out from a small beatbox she hadn’t even noticed before in the corner by the entrance.
Amy didn’t have time to be distracted though, as the melody began. She then closed her eyes and made sure she was focused on the song and only that. Then she took a breath and sang.
“ I just really like to sing,
It’s not because that’s how I was made to be,
It’s because you like my voice, and it is what makes you all happy.
I knew nothing but zero to one, but you taught me to understand ‘I’ forevermore,
Ever since that day, my heart has pounded on and on and has been only filled with you…”
When Amy got to the chorus she executed the dance that Mika did in her performance where she stepped side to side to the beat and flapped her arms to either side like she was attempting to fly. Amy wasn’t much of a dancer, but she practiced the chorus movements for hours a day to show the judges how determined she was to be a singer.
She could tell they were amazed. She imagined the judges as her future fans. Not as a hero, but as an idol. So during the bridge, she looked them straight in the eyes and winked cutely while making a heart with her hand, which caused Honey to uncontrollably squeal for a moment.
Amy concluded her performance with an adorable head tilt, then, as the track ceased, and she relaxed her muscles, she breathed in and out to slow down her increased heart rate.
She peered up at the judges to see Honey with her mouth agape, and the other two with eyebrows raised in awe.
“That was…incredible! Omg Omg, Your voice is so cute! You get a 10/10 from me for sure! Super approved,” Honey thrillingly commented.
“Calm down, Honey, but yes, that was a phenomenal job for your first time. It was almost like I was at a real concert,” Frederick remarked, with a nod of approval.
“I third that. I also loved the way you did fan service. It even got my heart pumping, but I do think you will need some improvement in stamina and voice control, which can be easily remedied with a bit of training,” Bambi expressed professionally.
“Really?? I’m so glad! But…Does that mean I got in?” Amy asked somewhat breathlessly with a hint of unease in her tone.
“Definitely. Normally, we would take a few days to discuss and make a decision on whether or not you would fit, but there is no doubt in my mind you will be popular. I mean, you are already quite notorious to the public, so citizens will be naturally curious, but we will make them stay with your talent and charm,” Frederick elucidated with conviction.
“Yeah! And I’m already envisioning all the outfits I will make for you! You’re going to look so pretty!” Honey yelled joyfully.
“I have no objections,” Bambi stated with a small smile.
“AAA, I can’t believe it! Thank you! Thank you!” Amy shouted as she jumped up and down. “Oh, wait, do I have to sign anything?”
“Yes, just one thing. We just need your signature here,” Bambi said, as she held out her tablet to a black page with only a line.
Amy hopped up to it and signed with her finger instantly, as Bambi took the tablet back into her hold.
“Welcome to Priapro.CO, Amy Rose. We will send you an email the following day concerning what your training regimen will be and what to expect.”
“Okay! I'll do my best.”
Amy held her head high as she now had a one-way ticket to her goal.
Would she rise to stardom or would she end up at the bottom of the board? She didn’t know, but the prospect didn’t deter her.
She was Amy Rose after all. A well-known hero who has tackled many world-ending disasters as she backed up Sonic and her many other friends. Entering the Idol life was like a new adventure, and an adventure was something she could handle.